The Mirror of Marised
by Use Your Illusion ACT III
Summary: One night, Princess Celestia finds her protege playing with a dangerous toy. The Mirror of Marised shows a pony not their face, but their heart's desire, and its allure has claimed the minds of many. The princess corrects her student's error in judgement, but Twilight Sparkle brings up an interesting question: what is Celetia's deepest desire?


Hello, all. This is my first post on this site, and definitely not my best work. As you may have guessed, I sort of stole the concept and dialogue from Harry Potter. Sorcerer's Stone was on TV one night and I wondered what Celestia would see in the Mirror of Erised. I'll try to use more original ideas in future stories. So, without further ado, enjoy this shameless ripoff of a childhood classic :)

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The Mirror of Marised

"Back again, Twilight?" the motherly voice of her mentor startled the young filly. Celestia stood in the doorway of the unused classroom, her pastel mane billowing behind her in that ethereal way it always did. She wore that warm, affectionate smile that seemed ever present and her coat was that perfect pure white it always was. Even without her crown and golden horseshoes, she looked every bit the princess she was.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," Twilight hung her head, embarrassed that she, the Princess of the Sun's personal student, had been caught out of bed after hours.

"I see you, like so many others before you, have discovered the Mirror of Marised," she ambled up to Twilight's side, lifting her chin with a reassuring look, "I trust by now you realize what it does."

Twilight turned back to her reflection in the mirror. The face that greeted her was much more mature than her own. It belonged to a mare just as tall Princess Celestia with a lilac coat that was a bit shinier than Twilight's. Her eyes sparkled more and her mane was as majestic as the princess's. Her horn was long and radiated power as she presented a glowing tome to the mare who had taught her all she knew.

The Twilight Sparkle in the mirror was every bit her mentor's equal.

"Let me give you a clue," said Celestia, evidently mistaking her silence for a lack of understanding, "The happiest mare in the world would look into this mirror and see only herself, exactly as she is."

"It shows us what we want," said Twilight, "Whatever we want."

"Yes. And no," she said, "It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest and most desperate desires of our hearts."

Twilight's eyes wandered back to her reflection. It was true she admired Princess Celestia and wanted to be just like her, but there was more to it than that. She wanted to make the mare that had become like a second mother to her proud. That was what kept her coming back, the look of pride on Celestia's face.

"But remember this, Twilight," she said, a grave expression suddenly coming over her, "This mirror gives us neither knowledge nor truth. Many have wasted away in front of it, even gone mad. And that is why tomorrow it will be moved to a new home."

Twilight turned to her teacher, surprised and a little disappointed.

"And I must ask you," she knelt down and wrapped a wing around her student, "Not to go looking for it again. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

Twilight took one last glance at the mirror, then nodded. The Princess must know what she was doing.

"Now, I believe you and I have some studying to do in the morning," she stood up, her motherly smile back where it belonged, "Let's get you back to bed."

She began to follow the princess out of the room, but as she left the mirror behind for good a thought struck her.

"What do you see when you look in the mirror?" Twilight asked.

Celestia stopped for a moment and took a good look at the mare staring back at her. There was nothing regal or majestic about her. She was of average size and build. Her mane didn't billow behind her like an aurora and it was cotton candy pink. Her face wasn't unappealing to look at it, but there was nothing exceptional about it; it was plain. And she had no wings. She was an ordinary mare.

An ordinary stallion stood beside her. He wasn't holding her in a tender embrace, but simply pressing his side to hers. His eyes weren't filled with any burning passion, just holding her gaze with a comfortable affection. The young filly that stood with them was nothing special, but she was content to be with her parents, and they were happy to be with her.

Celestia watched the mare and stallion grow old while the filly blossomed into an average mare. She saw the mare weep with joy as her ordinary foal held ordinary foals of her own. She saw the ordinary mare and the ordinary stallion go to sleep with smiles on their faces and never wake again.

Princess Celestia saw herself living an ordinary life.

But instead she said, "I? I see myself holding a pair of woolen socks."

"Huh?" Twilight said slack-jawed.

"Yes, you can never have too many socks," the princess chuckled, "And ponies keep sending me books for Hearth's Warming."

The filly joined her mentor's laughter as she was guided back to her room. She had been such a joy to have in the castle these past few years. Palace life had lost its novelty long ago, and even after more than a millennium of meetings, paper work, and decision-making, there was still more to be done. Twilight Sparkle had saved Celestia from the tedium of ruling a nation with her eagerness to learn; she had offered a respite from the loneliness of immortality by way of the sheer joy she seemed to derive just from the time they spent together. In her impossibly long life, the Princess of the Sun had often asked herself if all that she had given up – all that she had lived through – was worth it, and when she looked down at the smiling, bright, young filly that had breathed life back into her home, she knew the answer.

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So, any hints? Tips? Words of wisdom? I welcome all constructive criticism.

Until next time, respect all life, love each other, and don't run with your spears.


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